[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] FW: ROSE!

Sun Apr 11 18:57:16 UTC 2021

From: Larry Perry <larryperry at performancepress.ccsend.com> On Behalf Of Larry Perry
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2021 12:10 PM
To: mmoore11 at kent.edu
Subject: EXT: ROSE!

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Letter from Larry

Sunday

April 11, 2021

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Good Sunday Afternoon Everyone:

Today's story is a beautiful story about a lady named:

Rose 

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and 

challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. 

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. 

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me 

with a smile that lit up her entire being.. 

She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose.. I'm eighty-seven years old. 

Can I give you a hug?' 

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she 

gave me a giant squeeze.. 

'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked. 

She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, 

and have a couple of kids...' 

'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to 

be taking on this challenge at her age. 

'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting 

one!' she told me. 

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a 

chocolate milkshake. 

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we 

would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized 

listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and 

experience with me.. 

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily 

made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled 

in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was 

living it up. 

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football 

banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and 

stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, 

she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. 

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and 

simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and 

this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so 

let me just tell you what I know.' 

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop 

playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. 

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and 

achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day.

You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. 

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't 

even know it! 

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. 

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and 

don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am 

eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do 

anything I will turn eighty-eight. 

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The 

idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no 

regrets. 

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for 

things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with 

regrets..' 

She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.' 

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our 

daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she 

had begun all those months ago. 

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. 

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to 

the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to 

be all you can possibly be. 

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE. 

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING 

UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a 

Life by what we give. 

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to 

it, He will bring you through it. 

YOU are LOVED !!

Larry

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